The St. John’s basketball team did it again, and this was its most impressive feat yet.
It was another grinding conference battle that came down to the final four minutes and the No. 12 Johnnies emerged victorious, 70-64.
But this wasn’t a middle of the pack team in the league, it was No. 11 Marquette. A team that finished either first or second in the Big East each of the last two seasons and a program that has gathered much national attention.
Now, it’s time for St. John’s to step into the spotlight.
Madison Square Garden was reminiscent of the golden era of Red Storm basketball, one that saw some of the loudest cheers of the night for defensive stops in an old-school Big East affair.
Marquette (18-5, 9-3 Big East) took its first lead since halftime, 55-54, on a corner 3-pointer from Kam Jones with 5:20 remaining. It felt like the Golden Eagles, who had been thoroughly outplayed in the second half, could steal a victory on the road.
Then, St. John’s (20-3, 11-1 Big East) turned up its defense to a level that it hasn’t reached all season, holding Marquette without a field goal for the remainder of the game as the Red Storm, who started 6-for-17 from the free throw line before, finished 11-for-14 from the charity stripe when the game was on the line.
“The statistical data does not mean anything with these guys,” Rick Pitino said after he watched his team shoot 17-of-31 from the free throw line and 3-of-16 from 3-point range.
"Inside, I want to kill myself. Outside, I just say 'That's okay, we'll make the next one,'" he joked with FOX’s Bill Raftery about the free throw shooting on the court after the game.
Zuby Ejiofor gave the Johnnies a lead it wouldn’t relinquish with 4:10 left with a pair of free throws. Deivon Smith and RJ Luis would add to it while the finishing touches of the victory were put on by an Aaron Scott dunk to push the lead to seven, 66-59.
“We don’t like to lose because we don’t like how Coach Pitino gets,” Luis explained.
Yet the leader of the group was Kadary Richmond, who has continued to raise his level as the season progresses. Fresh off a game-winner against Providence, he landed 18 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists while making 8-of-14 shots for an encore performance.
Richmond didn’t score inside the final 6:50 but assisted on Scott’s game-clinching basket and constantly made big plays on the defensive end of the floor.
The victory, the ninth straight for Pitino's squad, marked St. John’s first regular season win over a Top-15 opponent since 1991 when the No. 9 Johnnies defeated No. 10 UConn on the road.
The No. 12 Red Storm will get its first look at the back-to-back National Champion Huskies (16-6, 8-3 Big East) this season on Friday night (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX) in Storrs.